PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS A HEADS UP AND VOTING ISN'T NECESSARY. I JUST WANTED TO MAKE PEOPLE AWARE THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO PAY A £49.99 FEE.

On a recent Virgin Media deal I posted about upgrading to the New SuperHub 2. Various people then asked how did this happen so I thought I would make a quick post detailing how this was done.

Pre-requisites:

60Meg or above broadband package (either you have to pay or it is not available below 60meg I am aware)

So basically all you need to do is phone 150 from your Virgin phone line and go through the menus to be put through to the Broadband Faults department.

Ask that you are interested in upgrading/ordering the SuperHub 2 and to be put through to Customer Services. They will take the account holders name and/or account number/phone number.

Ask the customer service team they put you through to and ask about ordering/upgrading to the SuperHub 2. They will give you some brief details and tell you about the costs.

HERE IS THE IMPORTANT BIT.

This is where they will say "Right the cost for the SuperHub will be free but a £49.99 installation fee will be applicable." Stop them here and ask about the self-install option of £20, you may even need to argue like I did. They may already mention about the £20 charge instead of the £49.99 charge and so you won't need to ask.

Basically, if you're on a 60MB or above package you can upgrade for free to the new SuperHub 2 but the charge applies of £49.99. This is why I'm making people aware that you don't need to accept the £49.99 fee and ask for the self-install option.

ALL YOU WILL PAY IS £20 FOR CURRIER DELIVERY. THAT IS ALL. PLEASE CONFIRM COSTS BEFORE ORDERING.

As said at the top, this is to make people aware they don't have to be sucked into paying the £49.99 charge for install. They can simply pay £20 and install it themselves.

Literally, it take about 5 mins (not even that) and some elbow grease to install so don't worry about complicated install procedures. Take your old hub out, disconnect the co-axle cable, plug in the new power supply, screw in the co-axle cable, connect any devices via ethernet/wi-fi and away you go! £49.99 for that, seriously.

You may need to activate the Superhub by calling the number included or on 150 I presume.

I understand this may go cold but I just wanted to make people aware that you don't have to pay the heavy fee. You can vote if you want but again, a heads up.

THIS MAY APPLY TO OTHER EQUIPMENT BY VIRGIN WHO WANT THE £49.99 FEE. THE STANDARD HD BOX HAS THIS OPTION I THINK BUT TIVO NEED ENGINEER ACTIVATION AS FAR AS I AM AWARE.

New customers of 60meg+ are given the SuperHub 2. You can then downgrade to 30meg and keep the SuperHub 2. May be worth having them note it on your account in case they give you hassle when downgrading.- stringsonfire

Edit - 06-01-2014 @ 17:00:

So it seems that most people having managed to bag a free Hub. If you're having speed issues, wi-fi issues or even high contract prices you may be able to blag a free hub 2 out of them for nothing. I don't advise doing if you're not experiencing issues so do this at you're own accord.

Groups

From what I can gather, some of the bugs that surrounded the first one are fixed along with the new ability to broadcast, concurrently, 5GHz and 2.4GHz wireless, meaning you don't have to switch between to two. You will get two WAPs, one for 5GHz and one for 2.5GHz. Both will broadcast and, if your device supports it, you can connect via 5GHz.

Other things are apparently a much better experience. We ordered ours last week so it will be interesting to see.

Edited by: "M0nk3h" 6th Jan 2014

6th Jan 2014

M0nk3h

From what I can gather, some of the bugs that surrounded the first one … From what I can gather, some of the bugs that surrounded the first one are fixed along with the new ability to broadcast, concurrently, 5GHz and 2.4GHz wireless, meaning you don't have to switch between to two. You will get two WAPs, one for 5GHz and one for 2.5GHz. Both will broadcast and, if your device supports it, you can connect via 5GHz.Other things are apparently a much better experience. We ordered ours last week so it will be interesting to see.

What about using it as a modem compared to using the old one as a modem? Any benefits?

6th Jan 2014

J4GG4

What about using it as a modem compared to using the old one as a modem? … What about using it as a modem compared to using the old one as a modem? Any benefits?

I can't really comment on this as I never had any of the major issue people reported and switched to using a normal secondary router. We've always had the Superhub as is and used it with no problems. The reason we've upgraded was purely down to improved wireless frequencies and the concurrent 5GHz and 2.4GHz broadcasts.

6th Jan 2014

I got mine for free, just tell them your leaving as prices going up and not happy with superhub. Being delivered by courier Tuesday.

6th Jan 2014

this will be a blonde/girl question but how can you tell what one you have just now??

6th Jan 2014

narcist

I got mine for free, just tell them your leaving as prices going up and … I got mine for free, just tell them your leaving as prices going up and not happy with superhub. Being delivered by courier Tuesday.

Free including delivery? Nice if you can get it but £20 ain't exactly bad is it compared to the £49.99 install for changing a wire and/or activating.

6th Jan 2014

lki1026

this will be a blonde/girl question but how can you tell what one you … this will be a blonde/girl question but how can you tell what one you have just now??

It's fine. To tell they have two different designs.

Superhub 1:

Superhub 2:

[image missing]

Edited by: "M0nk3h" 6th Jan 2014

6th Jan 2014

yeah I have the first one. :-)thank you.I have noticed in last week that my wifi has not been as great as normal.might give them a call tomorrow.

6th Jan 2014

lki1026

yeah I have the first one. :-)thank you.I have noticed in last week that … yeah I have the first one. :-)thank you.I have noticed in last week that my wifi has not been as great as normal.might give them a call tomorrow.

I would say give it a go as they claim stronger Wi-Fi signals and for £20 it ain't bad

Just make sure you're on 60MB broadband or above to get the hub free

6th Jan 2014

I am sure I am,but I will double check when calling etc

thanks

6th Jan 2014

narcist

I got mine for free, just tell them your leaving as prices going up and … I got mine for free, just tell them your leaving as prices going up and not happy with superhub. Being delivered by courier Tuesday.

I think u need to make a post and get some heat!!

6th Jan 2014

im having trouble with my superhub 1. the wifi is appalling, keeps disconnecting and dissapearing. The range is also dissapointing

I'm on a 30mbps plan!

6th Jan 2014

Yes I'm finding the new one provides a stronger signal than the MK1. As an indication most devices get one more bar at the same distance.

6th Jan 2014

Ill stick with my hub1 in modem mode and my netgear 6300 dual band which will be better than this carpy low spec netgear made hub2

6th Jan 2014

lki1026

this will be a blonde/girl question but how can you tell what one you … this will be a blonde/girl question but how can you tell what one you have just now??

The old one is glossy black, the new one is matte black.

6th Jan 2014

M0nk3h

From what I can gather, some of the bugs that surrounded the first one … From what I can gather, some of the bugs that surrounded the first one are fixed along with the new ability to broadcast, concurrently, 5GHz and 2.4GHz wireless, meaning you don't have to switch between to two. You will get two WAPs, one for 5GHz and one for 2.5GHz. Both will broadcast and, if your device supports it, you can connect via 5GHz.Other things are apparently a much better experience. We ordered ours last week so it will be interesting to see.

A new bug with the super modem 2 is that it won't work with VOIP phones, had this since it came out and still no fix. I have to use mine as a dumb modem which is the only way to get my Siemens phones to work.

If you don't have VOIP and don't intend to use this then you should be fine.

6th Jan 2014

royals

Ill stick with my hub1 in modem mode and my netgear 6300 dual band which … Ill stick with my hub1 in modem mode and my netgear 6300 dual band which will be better than this carpy low spec netgear made hub2

Agreed, the superhub 2 is not a great router. I would personally invest in any other brand but I'm voting hot as for £20 you cannot buy a router near this spec

6th Jan 2014

J4GG4

What about using it as a modem compared to using the old one as a modem? … What about using it as a modem compared to using the old one as a modem? Any benefits?

It would make no difference at all.

6th Jan 2014

narcist

I got mine for free, just tell them your leaving as prices going up and … I got mine for free, just tell them your leaving as prices going up and not happy with superhub. Being delivered by courier Tuesday.

I rang them when this was last posted and had to go right through to threatening them with leaving if they didn't give me one for free. It came up free but they said i would have to pay 49.99 for install. When i said i would install it they offered it me for £20. Also doing it this way they will make you sign with them for another 12 months, i had too.

Edited by: "clnsndrs" 6th Jan 2014

6th Jan 2014

£20 for delivery oO

6th Jan 2014

Even better, get it all free on a self install if your existing surperhub is 'playing-up'... In my case, the wifi signal was not covering the whole house therefore I was sent a SH2 completely free.

6th Jan 2014

Even better, get it all free on a self install if your existing surperhub is 'playing-up'... In my case, the wifi signal was not covering the whole house therefore I was sent a SH2 completely free.

6th Jan 2014

thats if you can get hold of someone at virgin cs, spent 20mins on hold then give up, plus been having trouble with my broadband I have the first hub, loose internet connection, I have to reboot several times then it works not happy

6th Jan 2014

M0nk3h

From what I can gather, some of the bugs that surrounded the first one … From what I can gather, some of the bugs that surrounded the first one are fixed along with the new ability to broadcast, concurrently, 5GHz and 2.4GHz wireless, meaning you don't have to switch between to two. You will get two WAPs, one for 5GHz and one for 2.5GHz. Both will broadcast and, if your device supports it, you can connect via 5GHz.Other things are apparently a much better experience. We ordered ours last week so it will be interesting to see.

Got the hub via courier then they still tried to charge the £49.99 so be careful to check. Also, since replacing our router with the hub my daughter tells me that connectivity upstairs in her room is weaker than with the old router. Apart from that not noticed a great deal of difference & picture still pixellating occasionally.

6th Jan 2014

And they probably tie you into a fresh 12/18 month contract.At least that what they did with me when I needed to change something.Cant wait to F them off & go to BT fibre now its in my street

6th Jan 2014

I got mine free by saying my friend got one free.

6th Jan 2014

Our MK1 is absolute rubbish, frequently loses connection and needs reseting. I rang VM up a couple of months ago and got into a right argument because I wanted my faulty MK1 replacing with a MK2 but they wouldn't budge from the £49 fee

I've been with VM since it was Diamond Cable and at the moment I'm fixed in to a 1yr contract until this spring. I got the letter telling me my TV, Phone + 120mb BB will be going up to £72 which is simply too much. I never use the phone and hardly watch normal TV. So my plan is to go with Internet only from VM, pick up a decent freeview box and continue my netflix sub. Which I think is all I need and should save £30 a month.

I'm going to try and get this deal today but I'm not signing up to any more contracts!

Thanks op

Edited by: "pinchez" 6th Jan 2014

6th Jan 2014

pinchez

Our MK1 is absolute rubbish, frequently loses connection and needs … Our MK1 is absolute rubbish, frequently loses connection and needs reseting. I rang VM up a couple of months ago and got into a right argument because I wanted my faulty MK1 replacing with a MK2 but they wouldn't budge from the £49 fee :(I've been with VM since it was Diamond Cable and at the moment I'm fixed in to a 1yr contract until this spring. I got the letter telling me my TV, Phone + 120mb BB will be going up to £72 which is simply too much. I never use the phone and hardly watch normal TV. So my plan is to go with Internet only from VM, pick up a decent freeview box and continue my netflix sub. Which I think is all I need and should save £30 a month.I'm going to try and get this deal today but I'm not signing up to any more contracts!Thanks op

Threaten to leave completely, they wouldn't budge for me until they released i was adamant in leaving if they didn't sort out my crap WiFi. Got it for £20 eventually but they do make you sign for another 12 months.

6th Jan 2014

Had nightmares with superhub 1. I use it in modem mode with an apple AirPort Extreme. Don't think I can trust a virgin hub again!

6th Jan 2014

there was a thread about a year ago when i got mine, various people were phoning up and getting these for free, i got mine for £19.99 together with £4 a month off for 2 years, so worked out well phoning up and asking.

As far as the hub its self, it now caters for 2.4 & 5 mhz signals at the same time. i found the wifi range slightly better but still have to use a wifi range extender to cover the house.

6th Jan 2014

What on earth would you use 60mb for?

6th Jan 2014

pinchez

Our MK1 is absolute rubbish, frequently loses connection and needs … Our MK1 is absolute rubbish, frequently loses connection and needs reseting. I rang VM up a couple of months ago and got into a right argument because I wanted my faulty MK1 replacing with a MK2 but they wouldn't budge from the £49 fee :(I've been with VM since it was Diamond Cable and at the moment I'm fixed in to a 1yr contract until this spring. I got the letter telling me my TV, Phone + 120mb BB will be going up to £72 which is simply too much. I never use the phone and hardly watch normal TV. So my plan is to go with Internet only from VM, pick up a decent freeview box and continue my netflix sub. Which I think is all I need and should save £30 a month.I'm going to try and get this deal today but I'm not signing up to any more contracts!Thanks op

could you not save on the bb, i have a 60m connection, with a pc, 3 tablets, phone, sky and 2 consoles all connected, all work great on 60, and i download quite heavily from other sources.

6th Jan 2014

I've had both Super Hubs, the second one gives you a much more stable connection and the router homepage is a lot more accessible in my case, It would deny me access after a few hours.Another positive is that you can turn the LED brightness down on the box, for some they can be annoying depending on where the hub is placed.It can run 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz networks at the same time though I don't see any benefits from 5Ghz, signal is worse for me. Overall if you can get Virgin Media to upgrade you for nothing, do it.

6th Jan 2014

scorpio iscariot

What on earth would you use 60mb for?

Same as my 120mb, for downloading fast

6th Jan 2014

clnsndrs

Same as my 120mb, for downloading fast

Yea, I run 60mbps, max speed around 7.8MBps, wish it was quicker.

6th Jan 2014

Got my superhub 2 installed last month.

Were trying to charge me the £49.99 install but got it down to £25. Got the tech to give everything the once over aswell and fix loose cable outside so always a bonus if you can get a tech visit :). worst thing you want is to self install and your powerlevels are out.

can't fault virgin either. Never had a problem with them and get what i pay for or more shall i say.

(on the "upto 120mb)

Edited by: "Sniperil" 6th Jan 2014

6th Jan 2014

SmokeyBandit

Got my superhub 2 installed last month.Were trying to charge me the … Got my superhub 2 installed last month.Were trying to charge me the £49.99 install but got it down to £25. Got the tech to give everything the once over aswell and fix loose cable outside so always a bonus if you can get a tech visit :). worst thing you want is to self install and your powerlevels are out.

You could always self install and call up tech support so they can check the power levels, if anything's off they will send an engineer round free of charge. I managed to get an upgrade for free, but I shouldn't tell you guys how :-s

6th Jan 2014

clnsndrs

Same as my 120mb, for downloading fast

I understand the fast downloads but my point is WHAT are people downloading to want that kind of speed( I'm not talking about torrents here).I have VM with the 30 mb and it's more than enough for my needs

6th Jan 2014

Anyone know if the superhub 2 has a dynamic ip updater on there like every other non-virgin router out there?